About Us
Our Mission
At The Yellow Wood Project, we work to understand how children and young people are developing, forming relationships and navigating sexuality in an increasingly digital world—and how we can create safer pathways through it.
The internet has transformed the environments in which young people learn about sex, relationships, identity and social connection. It has also created new opportunities for exposure to harmful content, unhealthy norms and behaviours that can cause harm to themselves or others. Yet we still have much to learn about how these experiences shape development, and where effective prevention and early intervention can make a difference.
We work to bring together researchers, practitioners, technology companies, organisations and communities to understand these pathways, identify opportunities for prevention, and for the development of evidence-informed approaches that support healthy sexual and social development.
Our approach is curious, non-stigmatising and grounded in the belief that prevention works best when we understand people and their environments, not simply the behaviours we want to change. We are interested in reaching people early—including those who may be struggling with harmful content, behaviours or sexual interests—before problems escalate and while there is still an opportunity to choose a different path.
Childhood and adolescence are complex enough to navigate without the added challenges of the contemporary internet. Our role is to map this changing landscape, understand where the risks and opportunities lie, and help find safer and happier ways through it.
Our Approach
Effective prevention starts with understanding.
Behaviour does not happen in isolation. To understand why something happens—and how it might change—we need to look at who is involved, what is happening, and the wider social, technological and environmental factors that shape behaviour.
We take a structured, evidence-informed approach to understanding these influences. We combine primary and secondary research with systems mapping and thematic analysis to explore the pathways, contexts and mechanisms underlying behaviour. We will then use these insights to identify opportunities for prevention and develop interventions that address the factors most likely to make a difference.
Thinking in systems
We view online harms through a public health lens: as issues that can affect children’s and adolescents’ mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing, and which are shaped by the environments in which they grow and develop.
This means looking beyond individual behaviour. Policy and regulation have an important role to play, but sustainable prevention also requires us to understand the wider system—including families, peers, education, technology platforms, online communities, social norms and the commercial and cultural environments in which young people spend their time.
From insight to intervention
Our research develops in phases, allowing each stage to build on what we learn.
Foundational research establishes what we know, identifies gaps in the evidence and maps the wider system.
Pilot research explores specific questions in greater depth, testing emerging hypotheses and potential approaches.
Large-scale research builds on these insights to investigate patterns at greater scale and provide a stronger evidence base for intervention.
Across each phase, our aim is the same: to understand the pathways that lead towards and away from harm, identify where change is possible, and turn insight into practical prevention.
We’ll be sharing more about our research and projects here soon.
Our Core Values
Safety
Protecting people is our number one priority.
Empathy
We believe understanding others' perspectives is crucial to solving problems.
Collaboration
Cooperation between organisations and individuals will help us reach our collective goal.
Innovation
Complex problems often need creative solutions.
Integrity
We behave honestly and ethically in our work, guided by strong moral principles.